1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to the art of communicating, and more particularly to efficient, selectively self-inflatable assemblies.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In the past, it has been known to provide a balloon in combination with a source of air or like gas to inflate the balloon where, when the balloon is inflated, a message preprinted on the balloon becomes discernible to its recipient. In this regard, attention is called to my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,674, and to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,020,786 issued to Kopeika and 3,563,676 issued to Coovert and Seitz. In these, and in other devices for inflating balloons, air or like gas is forced into a balloon through its mouth or opening to inflate the balloon, and the operation of the inflation is initiated upon some manipulation of the assembly. In the two letters patent to Kopeika and to Coovert and Seitz, the balloon is inflated by compressed gas, such as, for example, air which is released directly into the balloon when some cap is removed or when the balloon is forcibly held to make or complete a switched electrical circuit to drive an electrical motor compressor. In the case of the letters patent to Kopeika as identified above, the gas is compressed and maintained in a compressed state until released into the balloon. In the letters patent identified above issued to Coovert and Seitz and to myself, the air is drawn from the ambient air.
It is desired, however, to have a three dimensional message arrangement, such as a balloon as shown in the letters patent identified herein above, wherein the gas flow is so arranged as to provide for an efficient air or like gas flow into the balloon. Such an arrangement would allow for an inflation time that is quicker, and would permit the use of a smaller motor and turbine assembly. Moreover, the size of the balloon could be increased, and the number of times the balloon could be reinflated by the same power source would be increased.